Prayer and Fasting and Bible Study and Church Attendance is No Substitute for a Really Good Failure


by Les Herron - Date: 2007-01-26 - Word Count: 277 Share This!

Peter believed Jesus and followed Him when called. Peter served faithfully and even stayed when rebuked by Jesus and confused by circumstances.

Peter spoke words from heaven, saw miracles take place, and participated in the first evangelistic group Jesus sent out. Peter was a part of Jesus' in-crowd; a member of the inner circle of this new Teacher's group.

Yet he responded to the guards in the garden with anger, and probably fear, as he fled the scene. Peter denied Christ vehemently three times.

Yet, even after all of this Peter becomes, well, the Peter we know and teach about today.

Time with Jesus did not do it.

Time with Jesus' teaching did not do it.

Being right did not do it.

Doing everything right did not do it.

Being successful in ministry did not do it.

What did it for Peter? What made the difference between a disappointing life and a life where hundreds of millions, even billions, respect and honor him?

Failure did it for him. Jesus' apparent failure and Peter's own failure.

At the time Jesus died Peter died also. All of his hopes and dreams and visions of what ministry would look like with Jesus leading the Jews died when he saw Him on the cross.

Failure made Peter a successful disciple just like failure made Jesus the Christ.

And Jesus embraces Peter at the point of his failure and allows Peter to embrace his failure also. An embrace of recognition that in God's economy a big payoff comes with failure that is properly seen and lived.

There is no failure for God's children but only death that brings life; if we allow it to happen.

Go ahead and fail. Just do it forward into the Father's arms.


Related Tags: christ, jesus, religion, self-esteem, god, preaching, christianity, church, failure

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